SMILE
Chapter 24: Curiosity killed the cat.
Third Person's P.O.V
Chants, cheers and applauds rang through the court at once. Everyone was standing - staring - at the new Female Captain of Standard High; Nicole Montez. Some in awe, and others in pure envy and jealousy, but with none other choice than to congratulate and of course, rather appreciate.
Nicole, on the other hand, gave zero fucks. Yes, she was thrilled that they won the game, and had even somehow managed to have become captain, but it wasn't the reason for the spark in her eyes nor twitch of those lips of hers.
Frantically, those deep blue eyes searched for similar ones as they scanned through unfamiliar ones in the room. Again, repeatedly, she searched through the court, eyes darting from one point of it to another, wanting to make sure her eyes hadn't mistakenly swept past the sight of him. Once again, she had searched, but to no avail.
He isn't here. Nicklaus isn't here. He said he'd be here but he isn't. Nicole thought. Where is he?
She was certain he followed her back in here, so certain they had both come in here together. But then she remembered she never saw him walking through those double doors. No, she didn't.
He didn't watch me play.
Upon realizing that, those deep blue eyes of hers lost that little spark like it never existed. Her right hand crumbled into a fist, sending a sharp pain as her nails dug deep into her palm. Yet, she squeezed it even more, finding encouragement in her own pain.
As much as she tried to hide her feelings from her facial features, she couldn't hide it from herself. She felt - and she was - lonely in the midst of a crowd. As always.
So she ran. Like she always does.
But this time, in search of him.
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Barely escaping the chants of her name and applauds for her fame on the court, Nicole shut the gym doors behind her. Cheers as well as chants faded into faint ones.
Turning her back to the door, she ran away from it till she was far away, at least by some distance. Panting, she struggled to catch her breath, leaning against those white walls that separated the hallways from where she stood.
Surveying the area, she made sure she wasn't followed. Once she was sure she was completely out of sight, she breathed slowly yet deeply, inhaling the fresh air.
But that barely even lasted when suddenly, a loud bang resonated.
Immediately, she jolted up and off the white wall so quickly that it caused her breath to cease and get caught up in her throat. She had clearly not expected that, she did not even know what it was!
All she knew was that something was going on behind those walls. So with those furrowed brows, confused features and a curious mind, she intended to find out.
But little did she know, 'Curiosity killed the cat."
In highlighted footsteps, Nicole's pace quickened against those marble floors, making a squeaky sound each time they contacted. But Nicole wasn't disturbed by it, rather the lack thereof. She had noticed that the more she took a step closer, the lesser she heard the squeak of her vans as it was consumed by a different kind of noise coming from the hallways which she was heading towards.
The wind brushed past each and every part of her exposed skin, making her aware that she was still only in her shorts and sports bra. Yet she didn't seem bothered about it at all, choosing to feed her curiosity first and foremost.
With quickened pace, she took turns till she came across those familiar routes that led to the hallway itself. The floors were a bit slippery due to her vans, yet she steadily walked through it without a care in the world, the sound of her footsteps unheard by each step she took closer.
With one more turn by the left, she finally came in sight with it.
The hallway.
Her feet stopped.
Noise - a mixture of chants and cheers - scattered through the entire hallway at once, coming from the impossible amount of students that were squeezed in.
The noises made were more than enough to damage eardrums, yet that seemed to be the least of their worries, including heading to class. In fact, it was a wonder how no teacher nor hall monitor was here to confront nor to do something about it. It obviously couldn't be they had not heard any of this noise, or at least even noticed their students absence.
Despite squeezed bodies, every head was bobbing and every feet was shuffling in an attempt to get closer. Whatever was going on ahead, every eye wanted to be a witness. They were engrossed, fascinated by whatever seemed to absorb their attentions. And whatever it was, they were all eager to watch it till the end.
Even Nicole herself found her feet moving. Whether voluntary or not, she could not tell. For all she knew was that her curiosity was growing by each second. She wanted - no, scratch that - needed to know what was happening.
Closer and closer, she drew towards the crowd, blocking that second thought in her mind and little voice in her head that told and warned her to stay away, to stay put, and to stay far far away. But of course, she did not listen, cos she never does, never has, and perhaps, never will as well.
Struggling through bodies and shoving past shoulders, that was what she found herself doing in the midst of sweating squeezed bodies. It reeked of colognes and fancy perfumes mixed with an awful smell from perspiration. Nicole scrunched her nose as this putrid smell invaded her nostrils.
"Watch it!" A brunette suddenly shrieked, seemingly annoyed by Nicole accidentally shoving her way past her. "The outfit cost a fortune, bitch!" She claimed.
Yet, that did not seem to stop Nicole from the task at hand, seeing as she kept on moving, simply ignoring the brunette.
Nicole was determined, paying no attention to nothing but what was on her mind; her curiosity. Except that, nothing else seemed to matter. Not at this moment. So she kept on moving, forward.
With each step she took, her curiosity grew. Her gaze was up, wanting to catch even so much as a glimpse as she struggled to get closer. The hallway was rowdy, crowdy, and definitely not in her favour, yet she kept on moving.
Then suddenly, she stopped.
With one last step in an abrupt movement, she finally came to a halt. This time, she could clearly see what was going on because it was right in front of her. And yet, she still could not believe it. Or rather, would not believe it; the sight before her. All too familiar.
Punch after punch, the fists kept coming. They were unstoppable, as well as the body they belonged to. With each strike, followed the spots and splashes of blood, not just against the walls that seemed to either be bathed or painted with them, but it also trickled against and poured out of the one receiving them. Massively.
Then she saw him. Nicklaus.
Slumped against the floor, out of strength and out of might, given up already and probably praying that heaven received him as he received those punches. As while he received one, another was yet to come. With no mercy at all, he was being devoured, his attacker seeming to either be deaf to his whimpers or perhaps blind to the sight of his red thick blood.
But it wasn't his. The blood, it wasn't Nicklaus'. But how could it be when he was the attacker, the one throwing the punches. And the worst part, he enjoyed it. Or perhaps, he rather seemed to be.
Without a care in the world, he - Nicklaus - emptied his bottled up rage upon the dying boy. And boy was it a bloody sight to even imagine, let alone, be witness of.
For he was a monster!
And if he was that, what then did that make her? What then? Huh?
With one last punch, Nicklaus fisted the boy's collar, the name Richard Huotun roughening up on the label in the same way. But Nicklaus barely even gave two fucks as he grabbed him up in a single fist and with the other, he assumed to give one last punch, a much more stronger one, yet his fist seemed to remain in the air.
Richard Huotun, that seemed to be the prey's name, on the other hand cowered in fear and also in expectations of the final punch. In fact, the entire crowd waited in anticipation for the finality.
Yet it never came.
Cos while everyone was staring at him, he was staring at her.
Deep blue eyes burned into deep blue eyes - feeling like furnace against fury - as they deciphered words left unexplainable and unspeakable in mere seconds.
At once, and upon seeing her, Nicklaus dropped the boy whilst throwing him off like a piece of rag. Running his hand through those dark locks, he muttered curses as the look of frustration and regret replayed on his face, looking as if something had him possessed just a few seconds ago.
With fast strides, he moved to reach to her. And before Nicole could register what was going on, he was already dragging her out and unto the another side of the building, away from eyes and away from ears. Away from everything and from everyone.
"Let me go!"
She screamed, yet he paid no attention. His large bloody hand engulfed her small wrist as he pulled, if not dragged, her away.
"I said---"
But before she could complete her statement, he kissed her.
A/N: I don't really feel the motivation to keep writing this story but I try because I really love it and that's why my updates are... unpredictable.
It feels like there's no one reading it so I don't even really know why I try. But okay...
Will there be another update?
We'll see...